Lee Mac. Thirty year old fibre artist. Crochet portraits = Obsession. I am surgically attached to my Ipod and crochet hook. Bookworm. Pop culture addict. M&ms are as important as oxygen. Einstein hit the nail on the head with "Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."

I am slooooowly recovering from my Jimmy hangover guys...
5 months is a LONG time to be involved with a piece ya'll! Especially one as hunky as him ... yeah who the hell am I kidding, I ain't over it yet
However, I have set aside time this wet/grey/windy winter day to get my nose back into some BOOKS
I have been neglecting my reading something SHOCKING!! (As my Goodreads counter never fails to tell me ) I have SLIPPED terribly guys!! FIVE BOOKS BEHIND SCHEDULE!!! I'M A FAILURE!!!
Full blame lies with crocheting Jimmy of course ! But I am getting back on track starting with Book #3 in the 'Anne of Green Gables' series! I ADORE L. M. Montgomery's writing and Anne....don't get me started on Anne!ANNE SHIRLEY
So I hope to polish 'Anne of the Island' off today and hopefully make a start on 'Windy Poplars'

Man I REALLY need to film an update for youtube! That way I can really grasp where I am at with the Popsugar Reading Challenge 2015, because right now I don't have a clue which challenges I have left or indeed whether Anne fits into any challenges!! Lee, you have this all arse about face girl!!!!
On top of my reading I am forever being drawn to the two WIP, that I have with me at my folks place...

My Bert & Mary Poppins piece and the mega Beatles piece!!!
It's been soooooooooooo long since i've had a hook in either of them !!!
So I think I may get a few cheeky rows in during reading breaks
Hope you guys are having a lovely productive weekend! Unlike me... who is the perfect picture of a hot mess right now
Promise my next post won't be as scatterbrainy as this one Lee xox

Wednesday 29th July, 2015

WOWZERS & GRRRRRRR!

Guys, thank you x a billion million trazillion for the you have shown my jumbo Jimmy piece !! I've had comments, messages and emails coming at me from the screen since posting him and the response has been phenomenal, so thank you so so much for taking the time to say such lovely things !!
I also want to MASSIVELY thank those of you who have been on the journey since the first stitch in February! Consider yourselves squeezed to within and inch of your lives!!! With the completion of young Jimmy, that brings the grand total of completed CAL projects to.... drumroll.... FOUR!!! Which at first I thought was kinda disappointing, as I believe I ended up making 12 patterns for people... but then I thought, maybe I went about the selection process all wrong . My guess is that most of the people who requested patterns, probably haven't attempted this type of crochet before?! So therefore may have been unaware of just how much time goes into it?!? So maybe for the next CAL (oh yes, there will be another one ) i'll ask if entrants have attempted this form of crochet before However! There IS still just under half the year left to go! So folks may have just been a little busy!
The AWESOME part is, the CAL is far from being a flop because... Well..exhibit A people...

FOUR ABSOLUTELY STONKING PIECES OF CROCHET PORTRAITURE!!!
What a delicious selection eh ?!?! With TWO helpings of Jimmy !! SCREW THE CHEESECAKE BRING ME A DESERT TROLLEY LOOKING LIKE THIS! So once again thank you to my hookster sisters for participating and making some truly gorgeous and memorable pieces !!
(Side note - is it just me or does this guy look like he's farting his love?! Just a tad off-putting isn't it?!...hmmm...)
In MAD AS HELL news,
I finished up the 'making of Jimmy' video, which I am SO super proud of and tried to upload it to my youtube channel AND my Vimeo channel and BOTH rejected it!!!
Frigging copyright issues with the song I used!!! OH MY GOD!! SO FRUSTRATING!!! I REALLY wanted you guys to see this!! Totally my fault of course! I should have checked the whole background music Vs. copyright thing before I spent hours editing the video I guess that's just the way it is...
I have since tried to upload it into my Dropbox, but sadly it's not having a bar of it either ! It does upload, however on playback all you get is a green screen and ain't nobody wanna watch that!!! So if anyone has any ideas on how I can get my vid up in some way to show you guys, please shoot me an email or leave a tag! I would love you forever!
The only other option I could come up with is maybe if play the movie on my laptop, film it with my camera and then upload THAT?!?! But UGH the song would still be heard clearly enough to be a problem I guess.... Ahhhhh the wonders of technology...

A GINORMOUS thank you to everyone who has come along for the ride!!! I'm a little misty-eyed now that my time with Jimmy has come to an end, but good gravy am I in absolute with the end result!!! I am currently working on the 'making of' video which should be up tomorrow! So stay tuned! In the meantime, I am hitting the hay and giving my poor fingers and wrists a well earned rest JAMES DEAN FOREVER BABY!!! AAAAGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Lee xox

Sunday 26th July, 2015

Always | Dobby is free!

The wonderful ASHLEY has been crocheting up a storm folks !!! Say hello to panels #5 and #6 of her Hogwarts Bunch Blanket !!!
Can we all take a moment to appreciate the deathly hallows 'A' please?!?!?
Why?!
Because it's FREAKING INSPIRED THAT'S WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Best news ever, is that both of the patterns for these panels are available over on Ashley's PROJECT PAGE on Ravelry.com !!! for sharing your progress and patterns with us Ashley !!!

In cute-chubby-bear-punching-happy-hearts news, JIMMY IS THREE ROWS OF BORDER AWAY FROM BEING FINISHED GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So thanks to the abysmal shitty cold, wet, rainy, ewww weather, I shall be finishing him up aka crocheting the LAST STITCH OF HIM IN ABOUT AN HOUR FROM NOW!!!! why do I suddenly feel a pang of sadness?!?!? Oh man, i've LOVED working on this piece so much!!! It really hasn't been difficult having him grace my lap for the past 6 or so months lemme tell you! It's going to be weird not having him there keeping the old thighs warm! This is getting weird really quickly.. Now i'm going to attempt to put together a video reveal for this piece, which is a smidge exciting because i've never done that before , which (providing all my editing software behaves itself) should be up tomorrow sometime, HOWEVER if you really wanna see a picture first, lemme know and if enough peer pressure is put on me, i'll do the traditional reveal !! I'm in the privileged position of looking at him 24/7 right now, so I don't mind either way I'm going to go finish him off right now!! AGGH!!!!!!

Lee xox

Friday 17th July, 2015

P.J.! I like that, do you know I do!

Lee the IMPULSE SHOPPER made an appearance today

PRINCE JOHN is one of my two favourite Disney animated characters!! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW FREAKING MENTAL I WENT OVER SPOTTING HIM IN POP! VINYL FORM TODAY !!!!
I have NEVER been one for Disney princesses. Always found them UNUTTERABLY DULL Same goes for the lead male characters.... SNOOZEFEST!!!!!!!! Give me a side-kick or a villain ANY DAY
My love for Prince John was cemented from an early age, when I would watch, re-watch, re-re-watch Robin Hood constantly, only being interupted by the occasional interjection by Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Mary Poppins and/or Sword in the Stone Peter Ustinov!! Honestly, he nailed EVERY LINE!!!!!!!! So deliciously greedy and such a sook!! UGH I LOVE him !
And of course I couldn't leave Sir. Hiss behind! Heck, if the entire cast were there, trust me, they would have made it home too !!! I mean, for goodness sake, does it get any CUTER?!?!?

Now to petition Pop! Vinyl to make my OTHER fave character and i'll be happy as a pig in shi-

Ahhhh man you gotta blustery freezing winter onesie-wearing weekends !!
Choc full of Jimmy Dean movies, and gallons of coffee Bloody FABULOUS!!
Piss off Monday, you are SO not wanted man !! In more important news LOOK!!!!75%!

He's on his way to becoming the HOTTEST king sized portrait this side of everywhere !!!
Thank god I don't work out, because man i'd be dangerous ! Holding 214 rows of pure hunkiness up for about 20 seconds here has burnt out my guns man
Iron woman of the year right here folks. Look no further I also really must take 2 seconds out of your day to tell you just how much I appreciate cowboy hat brims right now lovely long lashes of black shadow!!! UGGH LOVING ME A BIT OF THAT RIGHT NOW!!! I reckon it has shaved at least 30 mins off a row !
Right, time to stop being a lazy slob, time to finally get out of my PJ's (straight into a fresh pair) and get back into it!!! WOO!!

Lee xox

Saturday 4th July, 2015

Sepia Cowboy hits 70%!

By god this is a sloooooooooooow going piece and his forehead still has no end in sight!!
I'm also having major WIP-bag-related issues, because this thing is growing at such a rate that it doesn't fit in a normal shopping bag anymore
Aww my lil' cowboy is growing up so fast... bless.
So naturally, i've also had to progress to only being able to work on him in bed where I can spread him out! (Jeezuz this post is riddled with double entendres #colourmeguilty)
I'm also running DANGEROUSLY low on a couple of shades ...
So all in all, this reads as if i'm in a terrible space with this piece
Thankfully, all I gotta do is lay it out on the floor, take a step back and take it all in and whaddayaknow?!

G'Day and welcome to my lil gallery
Feel free to browse away to your eyes content, leave me a comment on the tag-board or just soak up some crocheted portraiture! I also really need to take 2 seconds here to extend the biggest of "THANK YOU!!!"'s to Lokesh Dhakar whose 'Lightbox2' script is the sickest thing since sliced bread I would seriously be stuffed without the aid of this coding brilliance, so MASSIVE KUDOS to you Mr. Dhakar You're a star man!! Lee xox

I am 1/3 of the way through the challenge guys 17 BOOKS READ THUS FAR! That is already 4 more than I read for the entirety of 2014!#WINNINGATLIFE!!
I've decided to let you know of my latest literary conquests on this blog instead of updating via - because I kinda misjudged my dates and all my recent reads were due back at the library! So there's very little reason to do a video with SQUAT to show you
Okie dokie, on to my recent reads !! So I have read another FOUR books since my last youtube update ! And they were...

'In Search of the Woman Warrior: Four Mythical Archetypes for Modern Women' by Richard J Lane & Jay Wurts.POPSUGAR READING CHALLENGE = A BOOK WITH NONHUMAN CHARACTERS After seeing a five minute snippet of a telly programme profiling strong female lead characters and seeing a glimpse of Wonder Woman and Xena: Warrior Princess, this title jumped off the library shelf and smacked me right in the face. This was a really weird read for me... I think the main aim of this book was to highlight the many attributes, heroics, perceptions and changes that characterise what makes a strong woman warrior. The writers take us from ancient times, right through to modern day and introduces the reader to powerful, mythological women, such as Athena, right through to aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart. They then attempt to break down the umbrella term of 'woman warrior' into 4 archetypes that they feel represent the different shades and hues that make a woman a true warrior. There is even a cosmo-style quiz at the back of the book that tells you which sort of woman warrior you are! Ouu how fun! ( Not really... although it did peg me as a strong, no-nonsense, stubborn bugger, who is a bit of a cynical cow when it comes to the world, which actually is pretty on the money but shhh, let's not admit that to anyone..)
I say this was a weird read for me, and it is because instead of coming away with a well-formed idea on what makes a great woman warrior and how women have empowered themselves over the centuries, I came away wanting to get my hands on:a) Ancient Greek mythologyb) Roman mythology, andc) Arthurian tales the stories briefly covered from these time periods were so ENGAGING!!!
So as far as igniting my interest in strong female warriors goes = 3 out of 10. However, as far as igniting my interest in a whole STACK of different characters and stories goes, 73 out of 10. Therefore, I am stoked I read it for that reason, however, if you are after a read that will empower your ovaries, I'd skip it

'Cress' by Marissa Meyer.POPSUGAR READING CHALLENGE = A BOOK WITH A ONE-WORD TITLE I had been waiting patiently (refreshing my library account every day , whilst screaming, UGGHH HURRY UP!!!!) for this book to go through the seven other folks in the request queue at the library and then FINALLY it was mine to read !! I was super excited, because the last two books, really captured my imagination and although the characters dialogue bordered on the ridiculously simple and I didn't actually like any of the characters, I was hooked on the story and wanted to know what happened next really badly !! Don't cha just hate it when a book you've been excited for disappoints?!
Yup. This tanked for me. If you have read this, you will know what I mean by one word, 'desert'. Oh my freaking god... IT NEVER ENDED !!!
Unlike the previous books, this one dragged on for way too long. The fast paced aggghh-just-one-more-page-JUST-ONE-MORE-PAGE frantic speed I reached during the first two books was not happening with Cress. I actually found myself pondering about what I was going to have for dinner instead of concentrating on what I was reading numerous times, which is never good ! I also found it a bit of a chore to finish, which is also not a great sign. I will still read 'Winter', the final book in the series when it comes out later this year, but I have definitely lowered my expectations on that one, based on this one

'Skim' by Mariko Tamaki, Jillian Tamaki (Illustrator).POPSUGAR READING CHALLENGE = READ A GRAPHIC NOVEL This was my first graphic novel! Woo! However I wish I'd picked something else! Dratballs ! This was the story of 'Skim' aka. Kim, a 16 year old experiencing high school and all the crap that goes along with it and the trials and tribs of being a teen, in the early '90s. The tale covers a familiar string of issues, such as suicide, depression, first sexual experiences, cliques and peer pressure, and tells it in comic strip form. Although I didn't develop any real connection to the characters, the scenarios, or the topics being covered, I did come away with a deep appreciation for the writers and artists who go down the 'graphic novel route'. It is a BRILLIANT way to put your story across. The illustrations in 'Skim' were great and the dialogue was spot on for the time period, but the comic style of presentation was what kept me turning the pages . I forgot how fun the reading of comic-book style presentation or 'storyboard' presentation can be !
Although this particular story would be enjoyed a lot more by someone going through their teens, it has certainly made me want to delve further into the graphic novel genre asap !

'The Restaurant at the End of the Universe' by Douglas Adams.POPSUGAR READING CHALLENGE = READ A TRILOGY (Book 2!) Book number two in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series! Yay!! No.. no yayness here
The first book was quirky, funny, strange and cool. This second book was just plain weird. I know that you're not meant to take Hitchhiker's remotely seriously, but at LEAST in book one, I could follow the plot and have an understanding of the main objective. Book 2 darts all over the place in a really jerky, confusing way! The only thing it had going for it was it's cast of zany lovable characters, who remain interesting and funny, thankgod! However, on reflection I STILL have no flipping idea what happened or what insights I was supposed to have gained from this second book in the series I think I'm going to take a break from the galaxy for a little while before heading on into book 3! Hopefully it has some answers in store for me!!

So all in all, a bit of a mixed bag!! Here's to variety! Currently I am reading...

Which is fantastically heart-breaking but is a real page turner. Thankfrig, because IT is due back @ the library tomorrow!!! AGGHH!! I gotta stop borrowing books whilst i'm still trying to get through 6 others!!! If you are taking part in the reading challenge or ANY reading challenges I hope it is going well for ya!!! Lee xox

Saturday 11th April, 2015

My Favourite Booktubers!

I LOVE BOOKTUBE!! It is definitely 95% responsible for rekindling my love of reading and has introduced me to some FANTASTIC people and some books that I would never have otherwise exposed myself to!! Forever grateful!!
For anyone not familiar with the whole 'Booktube' phenomenon, basically, it's a community of youtubers who REALLY LOVE READING and upload videos of what they are currently reading, what they plan to read, or (my personal fave) TAG videos! In which they tag each other to complete a themed video, usually using books to answer the set questions. If you are a reader, and you're stuck in a reading funk, or you're nosy like me and enjoy hearing about people talk about the books they give the thumbs up or down to, or you are after some recommendations on what to read next, I highly suggest typing in 'booktube' into Youtube and checking out a few videos !!
I follow a bucketload of youtubers, but I wanted to shine a light on a few of my absolute FAVES, which you should DEFINITELY check out !!

WhittyNovels is a riot and I love her videos TO BITS! BITS PEOPLE !! The video embedded here is her latest book-related vid, but honestly, do yourself a MASSIVE favour and go and check out her channel because she's utterly hilarious and such a gorgeous bubbly gal !
Even though she reads a lot of YA (Young Adult) and I tend not to, I find her enthusiasm and love of characters completely contagious and she really does make me wanna cast off my reservations and delve into that genre asap !

Madi Irenee is an aspiring human rights lawyer from New Zealand who is CUTER THAN A BUTTON and is a FANTASTIC book reviewer ! She is one of those talented wordsters who is so articulate that I wish to goodness I could speak as eloquently and as precisely as she does! She is such a pleasure to watch, as she always offers FABULOUS insights into the books she reads
She is certainly partial to the classics, which is brilliant in my opinion because along with biographies, they are certainly my genre of choice! Madi has inspired me to brave the world of 'the bodess-rippers' (as my Dad calls them) aka. Jane Austin, Bronte Sisters, type period works and it was off the back of her shining endorsement of 'Jane Eyre' that I rushed out and bought the first copy I saw I am yet to read it, however it will tick off my 'read a classic romance' challenge once I get to it ! Love her! Go watch her!!

BazPierce - Okay, I don't even know where to start with this guy.... This sums it up !!!
Honest, sarcastic, witty, dry - oh my god he's BRILLIANT!
Sadly, it looks as though he's taken quite a hiatus from making videos, but I can, and have been, rewatching his videos when I am in need of almost pissing myself with laughter. A word of warning - if you are not a fan of swearing than I suggest you probably stay clear. (But honestly, he's fricken hilarious)

BOOKSandBabble - I was so so so HAPPY when I stumbled upon this channel! I actually went searching for book reviews on 'Gone With The Wind' just after I finished it, to see if others went through the same emotions that I did whist reading it and I stumbled upon Leanne's review! Leanne, is my favourite reviewer, hands down she reads a wide array of books, all sorts of genres, from all different time periods and she is by far the most articulate and coherent speaker and reviewer I have come across in the booktube community. She has been responsible for expanding my reading choices and like Madi, has also been responsible for my sudden urges to go and splash cash at the nearest bookstore! On NUMEROUS OCCASIONS!!! I always REALLY look forward to Leanne's videos because I know there will always be a fascinating read that I will want to get my grabbers on being featured!

The Gwendolyn Reading Method - I'm still a newbie to this channel but Gwendolyn is AWESOME!! I always feel bouncy after visiting her channel, because she's always so upbeat and excited to share her bookish finds, or what she's reading or has read and it's I swear it's a total natural buzz stopping by her channel ! Gwendolyn is another booktuber who has exposed me to books and genres I would otherwise never have given a chance, and honestly, I could totally just stare and visually examine those bookshelves behind her for hours on end SO PRETTY!

So those peeps are a few of my absolute FAVOURITE booktubers! If you have any that you love, be sure to let me know! I'm always up for finding new channels to stalk, I mean browse !
I hope you get a kick out of these guys! Lee xox

Move over Belle, I got this reading thing down man !
10 books/challenges ticked off! 42 to go!
As stated in my Youtube video above, I have really enjoyed these past 3 books !
I guess there really isn't too much more I can add that I didn't blab on about, so now i'm about to burn through the universe with Arthur Dent in Hitchhikers!! !!
Catch you on the flip side of reading this triology !!

Wednesday 25th February, 2015

Days and pages are flying!!!

I have an appointment with my optometrist at the end of March. I say this because I believe I will be hit up for a new pair of specs. With a much chunkier prescription. Why? Because my eyeballs have been putting in the same amount of work reading, as one's legs put in running a marathon. My future...

But I digress! On to my sweet sweet Popsugar update!! Since my last update I have read 3 more books! Making that 7 in total Bitchin'!!!

As I mentioned at the end of my last youtube vid, my 5th read was 'So Anyway..' by John Cleese. I have been a massive fan of this man since I was a kid. So when he brought out this autobiography, it was added to my to-read list immediately. Complete no-brainer
As a biography addict, I it when the author goes into detail about their childhood and I was so happy to see that a BIG part of this book was devoted to describing John's early years. As an only child myself, I found it greatly entertaining and insightful when John touched on that particular aspect of growing up and how it effected his personality and relationships. I also enjoyed reading about his schooling journey and how he got into performing and writing comedy whilst attending law school. I think among my fave revelations from reading about John's life in his own words pertains to just how much writing he and Graham Chapman did! My god! Prolific doesn't begin to describe it ! I of course knew that he and Connie Booth were responsible for 'Fawlty Towers', which holds a special place in my heart. But my god, the sheer amount of writing they did for Monty Python, Peter Seller's, David Frost, the two Ronnies, the list goes on!
So cool to read about the people he was mixing with and writing for! What a time to be alive !!
I also really enjoyed reading about some of the pranks his friends played on him Graham Chapman with his little notes left around the house for John's dinner guests and Marty Feldman (I think, but I could be mixed up) discovering and introducing John to the DULLEST people on a spanish beach. Laugh out loud moments!
If you are a John Cleese fan, I strongly encourage you to pick this one up!

At 96 pages, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde" by R.L. Stevenson was a lovely quick read, however it was quite challenging!
Not the story, but the language! My chunky thesauraus was certainly my best friend during this one! The story of course is an enduring classic and has been parodied to within and inch of it's life, but the premise of the story is just so compelling that after reading it, you really can see how it has stood the test of time. Dealing with the light and dark side of human nature, the story really does put you smack bang in the middle of the moral dilemma facing Dr. Jekyl and makes you question how you would cope in such a situation. The last chapter really causes you to pause and ponder human nature and the dark and light sides of your own character, which to me is a sign of a great story. Teamed with impressive (all be it slightly complex) writing, I loved reading this story as it was orginally written. Because to be honest, my only real knowledge of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde comes from Warner Brothers cartoons

First published in 1889 (126 years ago!) "3 Men in a Boat" by Jerome K. Jerome, hand on heart is probably the funniest book I have read to date. I swear to god, I was bursting out laughing with every sentence for the first 40 pages (and through to the end!). This has resulted in me pledging to re-read it as soon as I can and it has resulted in me now proudly rating it among my favourite books. With it's mix of imagery, history, travel, adventure, anecdotes, and frank observational witty humour, this classic ticked all the boxes
The gorgeous passage of imagery conjured up by JKJ (I feel I love the guy enough to just use initials!) when he describes our three seeing three older fisherman further up the river is one of my absolute fave parts It's certainly a credit to a writer who can paint a mental picture that you want to transport yourself into in a Mary-Poppins-esque type fashion. Which let's face it, we wish ALL books would do! Not only did it have me longing to take a winding trip through the pretty countryside of England upon it's waterways, it made me want to do it in the company of these 3 guys! And Montmorency of course!!
Oh my god they were freaking hilarious and I swear I would fit right in with them!!
I am now slightly desperate to get my hands on every work by JKJ, because I LOVED this book and I fell in love with his humour instantly! So ecstatic to have found this book and now I have a total go-to read if I ever need an instant pick me up!!

Wednesday 4th February, 2015

4 weeks down, 4 books down!!!

3 cheers for staying on track!! Hip hip!! !!
The end of January signals 4 weeks of the reading challenge gone! This week, the first of the glorious month of Feb signals week five. I AM BANG ON TRACK!!!!

I chose 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee for this challenge! I know i'm probably one of 9 people who haven't read this book, but now there are only 8! What an IMPORTANT book! Now I see today that Harper Lee has given the go ahead to publish the first draft of the story after the manuscript was discovered in a safety deposit box!!! so my timing could not have been better!
As I say in the vlog, everything that could be written about this classic, has been written. The fact that this was Harper Lee's only published work, to me only speaks volumes MORE as to how special this enduring novel is. The character of Scout Finch is so inspiring, I fell in love with her more as every page was turned !! Honest, frank, strong, lively, impulsive, curious, oh my word she is a wonderful soul
The timing of this book of course coincided with the civil rights movement in America and highlights issues such as that of racial/class injustice in such a raw and honest way. Again, as I say in the vlog, it really is one of those books that you wish every single person on the planet would read! The fact that it is told through the eyes of Scout, gives you the direct, black and white view on such issues and allows questions surrounding such strong issues to be asked via the naive voice of a child who's ideas about the world are yet to be fully formed. I finished the book thinking "If ONLY the world had billions more folks like Mr. Atticus Finch!"

For challenge number 3, I read 'Scarlet' by Marissa Meyer! This is book #2 in The Lunar Chronicles series! OH MY GOSH THE CONCEPT FOR THESE BOOKS!! I CAN'T HANDLE!!! SO CRAZY GREAT!!!
In Cinder (the first book in the series) and in Scarlet, Meyer has loosely based her characters on Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood. She has created a new world for them set in the future. She has thrown in the wonders of space travel, cyborgs, hybrid beings and some funky supernatural powers to create one hell of a literary ride !
I am suffering anxious sweats waiting to get my hands on the next book in the series!! I am in awe of how suspenseful the writing is!! Meyer successfully keeps your attention peaked! Which I would think would be so hard to pull off as a writer! I love the way that you always seem to be running with the characters! Whether they are hunting down facts, answers, people, beings, enemies or places, I feel almost pooped at the end of a page because my little eyes are struggling to keep up!! In a good way!!!
I may cause rifts here, but Scarlet and Wolf are DEFINITELY more interesting than Cinder and Thorne...however I do have a soft spot for Thorne !
REALLY looking forward to seeing where things go in 'Cress'!!!

Book number three was 'Slaughterhouse 5' by Kurt Vonnegut. Upon finishing this one, my first thought was 'this needs a re-read'! The rhythm and style that this book was written in is VERY different to anything I have read before and therefore it took me a while to get into the groove, but once I settled in, I could certainly understand why it is written the way it was. I believe it certainly adds to the overall feel and message of the story. Often dubbed as an 'anti-war' book, the mediums of time travel, flashbacks and instant transportation into various times within Billy's life gave me real insight into the power of perspective and a mind struggling to fight against floods of memories, feelings, pain, loss, meaning and connections. Although very dark and very raw in places, it helped explain the sight, sound, smell, touch and footprint of war to someone who has never experienced it. Stories like these are vital windows into the brutatlity of war and it's destructive power over the minds of those who experience it first hand.
I took away a lot from this book and one of the best excerpts was as follows...

So as you can see, January was a VERY mixed bag!!!
I have kicked February and week 5 off with 'So Anyway..' by John Cleese, I know I know, I can't stay away from biographies for 5 seconds, but this one EASILY fits into the 'a funny book' challenge so it's alllllllll good man!!!
I am already a quarter of the way through and therefore should polish it off this week !
My biggest challenge then becomes, WHAT TO READ NEXT!??!!!

Thursday 15th January, 2015

52 Books in 2015!!! Bring it ON!!!

This lil' animation is topsy-turvy! The little dude should be chasing the BOOK, because that is what I plan to be doing more of in 2015 !
I was on the lookout for a reading challenge for 2015 that would: a) have a goal of reading 52 books b) pose a list of books that would challenge me to read more diversely (I usually drift towards biographies and classics), and c) have a cool title. Yup. I really am that shallow. !
So whilst drooling and scrolling through my latest batch of pins on Pinterest, I was pretty darn elated to happen upon the POPSUGAR READING CHALLENGE!!
(Totallee cool name right ?!) I am already stoked to announce that I am totallee off and runningREADING and have already nailed my first challenge #WINNER!

Wow. Suffering a severe case of shiny face right there 'James Dean' by George Perry! So much for 'reading more diversely' eh?! Technically, this is a biography, but biographies are based on true 'stories' yeah?!? *sigh* I'm hopeless.
Alright i'm totallee cheating with this one, but I have been on such a Jimmy D kick lately that I had to read this!
As a result, I am now slightly obsessed
My goodness he was an amazing person! He faced such tragedy in his early life AND of course in his sudden death, but my word did he squeeze a lot of life out of his 24 years.
Twenty-four years... man it still makes my stomach drop to the floor...
The book provides a great insight into the light and dark shades of Jimmy's character and highlighted aspects of his life and his nature that really brought home what a complex and yet utterly relatable guy he was. Despite his tendency to be quite an introverted, surly and by some accounts outright rude kinda dude, there are stories of truly heart-warming gestures and a vulnerability about him that those close to him said shone through in his onscreen performances For a teeny bit more Jimmy gushing, check out my first Popsugar-related Youtube vid!

Yup! I have almost finished 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee and I have thoroughly enjoyed it I shall save my thoughts till I have finished, but can we all just take a moment to appreciate just how insanely AWESOME SCOUT IS!!! WHAT A LIL FIRECRACKER! LOVE HER ! If you are participating in the Popsugar reading challenge or any reading challenge this year, I would love to hear of your progress and what kind of books you are reading ! Be sure to leave me a tag or leave a link to your youtube book reviews! Now back to knocking over challenge number 2!!

Archived Vlogs!!!

Tutorials, ramblings and randomness...

G'Day G'Day!
This is the place to watch old vlogs!
Proceed with caution - as they're bloody awful!

Vlog #20 [1st May, 2012]

Vlog #19 [12th Mar, 2012]

Vlog #18 [2nd Jan, 2012]

Vlog #17 [28th Oct, 2011]

Vlog #16 [22nd Aug, 2011]

Vlog #15 [17th Aug, 2011]

Vlog #14 [30th July, 2011]

Vlog #13 [18th June, 2011]

Vlog #12 [30th Mar, 2011]

Vlog #11 [29th Mar, 2011]

Vlog #10 [20th Feb, 2011]

Vlog #9 [25th Jan, 2011]

Vlog #8 [15th Dec, 2010]

Vlog #7 [10th Nov, 2010]

Vlog #6 [17th July, 2010]

Vlog #5 [9th July, 2010]

Vlog #4 [8th June, 2010]

Vlog #3 [8th May, 2010]

Vlog #2 [9th Feb, 2010]

Vlog #1 [2nd Feb, 2010]

Pattern Archive!!!

Hooks @ the ready!!!

Welcome one and all to my pattern archive!
Here you will find the patterns I have popped up for you to get your hooks into !

Create your own crocheted portrait of the sparkly Edward and his awkward Bella! Please send pics of your finished pieces to be featured on Totallee.net!
I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see em! Mail to poprocker85 [@] totallee [.] net

Create your own crocheted portrait of the sexy swashbuckler! Savvy?! Please send pics of your finished pieces to be featured on Totallee.net!
I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see em! Mail to poprocker85 [@] totallee [.] net

♥ Sir. Paul McCartney

Create your own crocheted portrait of Sir. Paul McCartney!'We're not worthy, we're not worthy!' Please send pics of your finished pieces to be featured on Totallee.net!
I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see em! Mail to poprocker85 [@] totallee [.] net

♥ Marilyn Monroe

Create your own crocheted portrait of the eternal beauty, Marilyn Monroe!!
Word of warning! This piece is a big'n!! 175 rows!! So if you are new to this form of crochet, I strongly suggest you have a go at the union jack swatch above, to get your fingers a workin'! Please send pics of your finished pieces to be featured on Totallee.net!
I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see em! Mail to poprocker85 [@] totallee [.] net

2015 Totallee.net Crochet-along!!!

On your marks, get set, HOOK!!!!!.

Sunday 12th April, 2015

Style and Dean!!

Joyce @ 70%!! God this is INCREDIBLE. I can't get over it. How the hell you had the patience to get through that shirt Joyce, will forever stump me. Now look at those eyes!!! AGGHH!!

My Jimmy @ 35%!! We have the bottom smoocher!!!!

Saturday 11th April, 2015

Mr. Ian 'Vampire Diaries' Somerhalder!!

Marion @ 93%!! (I love it! 9-3 %!)

Saturday 4th April, 2015

Mr. Styles and Mr. Dean!!

Joyce @ 60%!!

Jimmy D. just shy of 30%!!

Wednesday 18th March, 2015

Mr. Styles and Jean is underway!!

Joyce @ 40%!!

Jean has started!!

Sunday 15th March, 2015

Mr. Styles and Ian S.!!

Joyce @ 30%!!

Marion @ Chin %!!

Tuesday 10th March, 2015

Mr. Styles and Jimmy D!!

Joyce is at 25%! on Mr. Harry Styles!!!!

I am at 13.something% on Mr. James Dean!!!!

Sunday 8th March, 2015

CAL PATTERNS ARE HERE!!!!!!

What a FABULOUS bunch huh!!! A real pick n' mix of some famous talent past and present on show right there !! Chck out the most recent updates from JOYCE and MARION!!!

AMAZEBALLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On your marks, get set, HOOK!!!!!.

Sunday 22nd February, 2015

Crochet Speedsters VROOM!!!

A huge THANKYOU to everyone who expressed their interest in participating in the first Totallee CAL of 2015! All 10 places have now been taken (which is uber cool )!
For those not following peoples progress on Ravelry.com...set your peepers to STUNNED Our first CAL piece is done and dusted ya'll!!!

Yup! Whilst we've all been deliberating on our yarn choices, going shopping etc... the Queen of crochet speedness VALERIE has FINISHED HER JIMMY D!!!!!!!
1 CAL piece down, 9 to go !
Valerie you're un-freak-ing-believeably-ly AMAZING!!! He looks unbelievable and has inspired me to add him to my to-do list, because he drops my jaw !! Colours!! All those colours - I especially the little beads of colour running through his hair too cool for school!! If you would like to add this GORGEOUS pattern to your to-do list, or even jump right in (I would have said 'if you would like to crochet along with Valerie...etc.' but clearly it's too late for that ') please check out Valerie's Jimmy D pattern page riiiiight H-E-R-E-!-!-!

We have another crochet speedster flooring it to the finish line!!Joyce aka. my crochet pill of enthusiasm (I have no idea what that really means man, but we'll run with it ) has already hit 10% on her piece that is an absolute MONSTER!!! (in size, not in subject!)

Is that a FAB looking shirt or what!!?!
The secret of who it is hasn't been revealed yet, but it will be as soon as I get the pattern page up Mwahaha!!
So until then keep scratching those chins in wonder!!!

We also have the fabulous MARION who is at 10%!!! There's gotta be somthing in the water folks, because crochet hooks are clearly going ballistic the world over !

Marion those browns are looking hot and steamy my friend!!!!! Or it could just be the fact that I know the picture we're going for and i'm getting a little warm in anticipation !!!! settle down Lee for Pete's sake...
Looking right on track so far Marion!!!!

Then there is my Jimmy D!!!
I'm only 3.7% of the way along but already i've got my happy bounce going!!!
It isn't till times like these when one comes to realise the beauty of shirt folds !!

aren't they a bit of terrific?!
I'm working on his pattern page as we speak! So if you would like to crochet along with me, you will be able too! !!
The other patterns that folks have allowed me to share are also on the way !!

Lee xox

Oh my goodness!! Only 5 spaces left already guys!! The FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC woman, the one and only VALERIE was the first member of the crochet-along!! and guys, we need to all rise from our chairs and applaude her for at least 5 minutes because Valerie has kindly offered to share HER chosen pattern !! THANK YOU VALERIE!! Wanna know the ultra fun-sexy-cool part?!?!
Take a squizz at who she has chosen....

JIMMY D!!!!! WE WILL BOTH be crocheting Jimmy!! So far it looks like I should have made it a Jimmy themed crochet along !!
Once I establish the measurements for Jimmy with Valerie, the pattern will be made available to you all A.S.A.P ouuu arm-flappingly-exciting!!!
I shall also be posting my Jimmy Dean pattern as soon as it is ready!! However, be warned, it will be MASSIVE!! I already got slightly over-excited and went and gathered my palette already...

Yep! I'm going to have a sexy smouldering sepia cowboy on my hands !!!
Wanna see the picture?!?!

Oh my word, tell me that is not the most perfect picture right there...
Wowzers....
Honestly.....
Not sure how well I will function on a day to day basis when I will eventually be faced with this staring back at me from my loungeroom wall !! Now at this stage, i'll wait to see if we reach 10 participants before deciding on a start date, but be assured that I will allow plenty of time for folks to gather their supplies etc.
Be sure to keep checking back to check on the participant numbers and to see which patterns will be on offer! Ou and be sure to shoot me off an e-mail if you would like to join us! Whilst there are still places left!
The e-mail is poprocker85[@]totallee[.]net! Woo!!

Question mark central!!

Frequently Asked Questions!

This is the place to come to ask your burning questions !!
I get asked a LOT of questions about my work and whilst most can be answered with one sentence, I really would like to help people out as much as I can !
Before submitting a question please be sure to have a quick scroll down to see if it has been answered.
If you have a question relating to the kind of crochet I do (because quite frankly I SUCK at any other kind !), please feel free to send your questions to
poprocker85[@]totallee[.]net

How can I make my own patterns?

This is DEFINTELY the number one question I receive on a daily basis !
Due to my reasons listed in the question below, I will not go into step-by-step details of how I create my patterns however due to mounting pressure I have put together a little list of some links to some freeware found around the web that many folks have found useful in converting their pictures into patterns!WARNING Please note - I have not utilised all of these programs. Therefore I can not validate the safety in downloading or using all of these programs. This is a list I have compiled based on recommendations that others have made to me. Therefore, use AT YOUR OWN RISK!!KPG Sourceforge (the pattern generator I use )PictureCraftworkKnitPROFree Pattern WizardPic2PatStoik Stitch CreatorPM Stitch Creator 2.0 Please note - this is a short list! There are many graphing/cross-stitch/knitting generators out in the world wide web! However after trying a few on for size, you should be able to find a program that suits you down to the ground! It really is a matter of trying them out and playng around with them until you produce something you are happy with

How do you make your patterns?

I first began crocheting portraits when I discovered Todd Paschall and his incredible CBN technique in late 2008. I was gobsmacked (and continue to be) by his outstanding work and did not hesitate in paying for his services in creating patterns for a few special pictures I had until I figured out a way to generate my own patterns.
The last thing I would want to do is take business away from Todd's website CROCHET BY NUMBERS, where he has worked so hard to get CBN off the ground. Which is why I won't go into step-by-step instructions about how I convert my pictures. I figure that if folks are that desperate to figure it out, they can do it on their own like I did, then I won't feel like i'm intruding on Todd's hard work. Todd has been nothing but kind and supportive of my work, so I think it is the least I can do to support him.

Do you back your pieces?

I have made a lot of attempts at backing my pieces. I say attempts, because i'm still yet to find the perfect way, however I think it comes down to what the piece will be used for as far as choosing the right method goes.
In backing the Hogwarts Bunch Blanket, I hand-sewed black jersey (or stretchy t-shirt material) onto the back of each panel. It was tricky to keep the fabric flat, however I didn't want to add fleece or another bulky material to the back as I wanted to avoid adding weight to the final blanket. Thing thing already weighs 6000 tons

In the case of the pieces that were featured in my first public exhibition, I needed to back them onto solid boards in order to suit the needs of the hanging system in place at the cafe.
Here's cold-ridden me with a naughty labrador to try and explain how I went about it

I recently made my first commissioned pillow, which was backed differently again!

For this piece, I made the front panel, aka. the pretty 'Erika' panel, then crocheted a backing piece for it, using the same number of stitches and rows. I then hand stitched this onto the back of the pretty panel. The effect it had on the front was FANTASTIC!!!
It smoothed and stretched it out perfectly!
In the past, including the pieces featured in the exhibition, I had attatched the jersey material to the backs of the pieces before wrapping and stappling them to the mdf boards. Crocheting a back produces MUCH better results!
After attatching the crocheted back to the front, I then crocheted a third piece to be the BACK of the pillow. Attatching it on three sides, before filling with polyfill, before stitching up the final side!
I think THIS will be the way I back my pieces in the future! Whether they are intended to be hung on the wall, used as cushions, blankets, etc. if they have a crocheted back attatched to them first, you will get a flat, flawless frontage!
Naturally I would have preffered to have professionally framed most of my pieces, but having already shelled out to frame my Freddie Mercury piece ($500 Smackers!!), short of winning the lotto or putting everything I own up for sale on Ebay, including the house and possibly a kidney, I wouldn't be able to afford it! Therefore, D-I-Y Lee to the rescue!!

Can I have a copy of your patterns?

As you've proabably noticed, most of my pieces center around Musicians/Actors/Actresses/Film and Television. I am a pop culture Freak. I do not sell any patterns or pieces I have made that fit into these genre's as in most cases I do not know if the image I have used is under copywright. Any pieces I have made, I have NOT profitted from. Any patterns I have made I have NOT profitted from. Therefore any patterns I generate will not be made available to buy. However, if you take a stroll over to the Pattern Archive located on the navigation menu at the top of this page, you will find a selection of my patterns that I have popped up for free!

How many colours do you use in your pieces?

I have used as little as 4 and as many as 38 The more colours you use the more definition and detail the piece has. However it is a good idea to have a good look about at the colour range available to you in your local area before falling in love with the idea of doing a piece all in greens, only to find that there are only really 3 shades that go well together! (I have learnt this lesson the hard way people!! lol).

What yarn do you use in your pieces?!

The wonderful Kate has put forward a question I get asked quite a lot! Cheers Kate !!

QUESTION: "What brand/type of yarn do you use??"

The MOST IMPORTANT aspect of yarn choice when it comes to colourwork is the colour !
The CBN technique relies on you choosing progressive shades in the colour palette of your choice, be it greys, blues, pinks, etc... Typically a pattern will instruct which brand of yarn to use, and for those folks who find it frustrating or get a little overwhelmed when it comes to choosing colours, Todd has A LIST of blue and brown shades that work in the Red Heart range which may make life easier for you ! As for my yarn choices - they do tend to change with every piece!
After much browsing I have found a palette of greys that I am very happy with, however it does vary depending on whether i'd like the piece to have a black & white feel or a slight blue tinge running through it. It really does come down to trial and error for me!
I have never made a piece using the same brand of yarn for all colours. I always use many different kinds!
I get yarn from craft supply stores, discount stores, Kmart, Woolworths, my Mum's accumulated stash over the past 30 years, freebies from friends old stashes, etc...
Then it really is a case of mixing and matching to get the right degree of shading
The size of the ply I use also varies! For instance, in my GWTW piece, one of the lighter blues I really really wanted to use only came in 5 ply, much thinner than all the other colours that were 8 ply. So I bought 2 balls and worked two strands of the colour every time I used it, in order to balance the thickness. The important thing was that it was the RIGHT COLOUR for the job
Hence the reason as to why I cannot give brand names of the yarn I use in each pattern as it really is an eclectic ever-changing mix!
I guess the biggest barrier a lot of people have in giving work like this a go is the risky business of choosing colours and being afraid that they won't work as well as they want them too. Trust me, i've had my fair share of disasters!Exhibit A
I thought I was on a winner with my choices for a piece featuring Danny Jones from McFly I attempted a while ago...
So far so good...decided to keep going...

Yup! Loving that shine on the retro microphone! Kept going...

WAY TOO DARK!!! BIGGEST BUMMER!!! So the best advice I can give is to take your time in comparing and contrasting your shades! Sometimes projects will fail, sometimes you may have to put a project on hold until the right shade turns up in stock, sometimes you may have to change your entire palette depending on the colours you have available to you. Ply size you can work around, brands you can mix and match, but it's the colour choices that will be the difference between a good piece and one that POPS!

Aching Hands and Wrists?!?!?

The lovely Donna sent in a question!

QUESTION: " You work on so many different projects and seem to get them
out uber quick, do your hands hurt? The muscle around my thumb hurts
and I'm actually noticing rub marks from my hook on my fingers. What do you do for your
busy hands?"

Ah yes! The dreaded hand cramps ! When I first started crocheting properly at the end of 2008, I noticed that my hands started to cramp up quite quickly! I searched every forum you can imagine to get some tips on how to prevent my fingers seizing up after only half an hour of crocheting, so quickly tried them out. Some worked for me, some didn't. Some made perfect sense, others were perfectly ridiculous ! Here are some tips that help me BUCKETLOADS when it comes to hand cramps!

Take a break! Over time I have learnt to rest my fingers before going overboard. I start to get tingly sensations in my fingers and my wrists start to click, which is my flashing warning sign to give it a rest The worst thing you could do is try to push through the pain, even if you only have one row left! I was so eager to finish my AC/DC piece, I remember pushing through the clicks and cracks to knock off the last 12 rows and by god, I could hardly bend my fingers without searing pain for the next week, rendering me useless!! Pretzel-finger syndrome!!!
I now crochet in 15 minute blocks. After 15 mins, I stop, stand up, and do some basic hand exercises

Hand Exercises - after a quick search for "finger stretches, hand stretches, etc," I compiled a series of finger, hand and wrist stretches that I do in between 15 minute blocks of crocheting. First I tend to splay my fingers out, stretching them as far as they can go, before then curling them up to form a fist (repeat x 10), I then gently massage the palms of my hands, working from the middle of the palm out to the end of each finger. That usually takes about 5 mins for both hands. I then bend my wrists backwards and then forwards using my other hand like this...

Funnily enough, I don't tend to get too much pain in my crocheting hand. I actually get the most pain in the index finger of my left hand ! I tend to stick out my index finger as I hold my working yarn, which leaves it a bit stiff and sore! Which leads me to think that maybe trying a different grip on your hook may alleviate any pain your experienceing in your crocheting hand.
I've also noticed that MY NECK gets extremely stiff!! After I complete a row i'm finding that I have to do a few simple neck exercises (which make me look like a pidgeon...so attractive...)
I must get into the crocheting zone and look like a bloody statue sitting there cause my neck is completely set in stone sometimes! Very strange! So as long as you don't push yourself too hard and you take lots of little breaks, hopefully some simple exercises should help ease the pain and it'll be smooth sailing from here on in !

Press!

Making a splash!!!

The 26th day of July 2011, saw the launch of my very first exhibition! To say that I was BEYOND STOKED would be a tad of an understatement.
After months of planning, backing, staple-gunning, up's + down's, high's + low's, trialing and erroring, the 26th rocked around pretty quickly and my god WHAT A NIGHT!!!
I was lucky enough to have an opening night with close family and friends in attendance. So special and actually a bit overwhelmning to see the hours, days and months worth of your own work, created by your own hands, on display for everyone to see.

The exhibition was titled 'Off The Hook' and featured pieces such as 'Gone With the Wind', 'John Lennon', 'Elvis & Ann Margret' and 'The 2 Radcliffes'. It was warmly received and generated a lot of positive feedback which is obviously more than I could of hoped for!

Details of the exhibition were published in the 'Arts Section' of the city's newspaper and has generated a new awareness of crochet in the community and it's far-reaching possibilities!

Print!!!

Early in 2011 I awoke to a little opportunity sitting patiently in my inbox. Adrienne the deputy editor of Let's Knit UK magazine had asked if they could feature the Hogwarts Bunch Blanket in an upcoming issue!!
I preceeded to freak-the-shiz out and accepted immediately!!!
Published in a magazine!!!!! From the other side of the freaking planet!!!!! AGGHHHH!!!
As you can see I handled the whole propsal extremely professionally....
Adrienne sent along some questions and I sent her some pictures and you can imagine my surprise when I first laid eyes on issue #44.....

I scored an ENTIRE PAGE!!!
I'd like to extend another massive thank you to Adrienne and her team for this opportunity! TOO TOO AWESOME!!

World Wide Web!!!

The 22nd of August of 2011 saw the publication of my first guest blog!!Kathreen of Whip-up.net graciously asked if I would write a guest post for her site and I was stoked!
It went a little like this...

Hello Whipup.net'ers! Kathreen has graciously invited me to be a guest blogger on her fabulous site and I'm very thankful for the opportunity! Thank you Kathreen! xox

The Girl

My name is Lee and I'm a twenty-six year old textile/fibre/crochet artist born, bred and based in Canberra, Australia {find out more about me and my work on my blog}. I was about seven or eight years old when I first asked my Mum to show me how to 'do that thing with the hook'. The fascination lasted about two weeks and produced a basic knee rug that was comprised of more holes than actual crochet. The world of crochet was quickly forgotten as I moved on to tennis lessons instead. Which, come to think of it, also lasted about two weeks...
In late 2008 I remember stumbling upon the world of amigurumi (small crocheted animals/toys). I made a few little pieces before yet again my severe lack of an attention span kicked in and I found myself on the search for something new and exciting to try.

The Technique

My search came to an abrupt halt in 2008 when my jaw hit the floor and my eyes were glued to the incredible crochet portraits by Todd Paschall of Crochet by numbers. I remember the first time I clapped eyes on his smiling portrait of President Barack Obama and I was in awe.
A squillion questions sprang to mind, the biggest one being, How in the world do you DO that?! When I discovered that Todd was sharing his technique and also offered to convert any picture into an easy to follow pattern, I knew I had to give it a try.
I began by getting the basic stitches down pat. The crochet-by-numbers technique only requires you to know how to 'chain' and 'single crochet', so I began by practicing with little square swatches. Within a matter of days I was ready to have a go at the training patterns featured on Todd's site. At first these were the 'scary ones' I was a little anxious about trying as they involved the dreaded practice of colour changing! I soon discovered that it was nothing to fear and was actually quite fun!
Todd's technique does not require you to 'carry yarn' or weave in any loose ends, instead every colour change is accompanied by a cut and tie-off. Although many folks have shivered at the prospect of cutting and tying-off at every single colour change, I've found it can actually be quite relaxing! Although I do often warn those who are thinking of giving it a go, to be prepared to be patient, have a fully stocked chocolate stash beside them and one hell of a comfy chair!
As my confidence grew and I knew I was hooked (sorry, pun was begging to be used), I moved on to much larger pieces, with much more detail (aka. more colours and more colour changes!). Pretty quickly I discovered that crocheting portraits had become incredibly fun, exciting and important to me. Ideas about future pieces, possible colour palettes and the never ending string of possibilities had actually started to keep me awake at night. Visits to local yarn stores quickly became a compulsory stopping point every time I left the house. It soon became glaringly obvious that a hook and a ball of yarn offered so much more than a way to while away spare hours.

The Result

As my work will illustrate, I'm a bit of a pop culture fanatic. I have a wide interest in film, music and literature as well as the era's that go along with them. Musically speaking I am drawn to the 1950s and 60s in particular. The Monkees, The Beatles and The King to name a few!
I also have a love for the glory days of Hollywood and the actors that created true magic with their presence on the silver screen.
It is also a poorly kept secret that I am a bit of a Harry Potter fanatic. I use the term 'fanatic' there, when really the word 'MASSIVE' should go in front of it. I don't know what it is about the books and movies that continues to take hold of my hook, but I keep being drawn back to the wonderful characters and world of Hogwarts, time and time again.
This piece featuring Daniel Radcliffe as a young Harry Potter and as the young man he has become has certainly earned a spot in my top three favourite pieces to date. Not only does it have the most clarity of any piece I have done, it is the first time I was aiming for the 'sepia effect' and it was the first time I nailed it! It is also the largest piece I have tackled to date at a staggering 32,000 stitches.
I also get immense joy out of creating pieces that conjure up personal memories for loved ones. In particular, is a piece I put together for my Dad's 50th birthday. It features a picture of him as a finger-snapping two year old boy in the backyard of his childhood home in Sydney. As a life-long radio fanatic, I decided to surround him with radio paraphernalia, including a retro-styled radio, microphone and the logo of his favourite radio station throughout his adolescent years.
It remains my favourite piece to date. Not only because it's so monumentally personal, but because of the reaction it received from my Dad upon seeing it for the first time. I stood in the living room and holding it up and outstretched before calling him into the room. He stopped dead in his tracks, gasped, muttered a few choice expletives against the palm of his hand that had shot up to hide his open mouth and smiled. We then both proceeded to get a little misty eyed (balled our eyes out actually!). His reaction meant that the sixty plus hours spent on it was forgotten instantly and I knew then that I had found a truly remarkable way to express love and pay tribute to the many people, musicians, actors, films and loved ones that I have and continue to admire.
Recently the world of crochet portraiture has begun to open some really exciting doors for me too! Earlier this year, my Hogwarts Bunch Blanket was featured in 'Let's Knit UK' magazine and for the past three weeks, ten of my pieces have been adorning the walls of a local cafe/bar in my first ever exhibition!
If you have ever wanted to give crochet a go, by all means pick up a hook and get cracking! You never know where it might take you!!

(It is well worth clicking the picture at the top of this post to take you to the published blog on whip-up.net to get the flow of it all with the pictures included -_^!)

Hogwarts Bunch Blanket!

Here's the story, of a boy named Harry...!!!

It's only now as I come to write this that I realise the first time I picked up a copy of 'The Philosopher's Stone' was in 1999. It's only now that I realise that that was 13 YEARS AGO. By God. I could really use that time-turning hourglass of Hermione's right now....
Anywayz! Mid way through 2009, I decided to have a crack at making my own crochet patterns and guess who I decided to do first?!? Young Mister. Potter As far as first impressions go I was pretty chuffed! At least it looked like him and of course the bigger plus - it only used 4 colours (which therefore made it cheap as chips to make!)
At first I thought it would make a cute cushion for the lounge but then inspiration reared it's beautiful head! Why not make lonely Harry a couple of friends to accompany him on said couch?!? It wasn't until I had them all lined up on the floor that I thought 'this screams Brady Bunch...'
So taking inspiration from the opening and closing credit's of "Here's the story, of a lovely lady..", I went about choosing 9 characters for a Hogwarts Bunch Blanket!NOT AN EASY TASK!!!!!
SOO many too choose from! So many faves! But as of December 2010, I managed to whittle the selection down to 9 and complete them!

The next step was to border and back them all individually before the daunting task of Hand Sewing (blurgh. )
I bordered each one with about 4 rows of black before sewing some cheap black jersey material to the backs. I then joined the panels together with black yarn by going in and out of the holes conveniently made by the single crochet stitches. This produced a lovely flat join that can hardly be seen ! (on the right side up of course -_^!)

The blanket has received an enormous amount of love so i'd just like to send vitual hugs , kisses and high fives to EVERYONE who has followed and supported me though the making of this project via the many places i've posted my progress! Major kudos to you guys

Our New Celebrity

Earlier this year I awoke to a little opportunity sitting patiently in my inbox. Adrienne the deputy editor of Let's Knit UK magazine had asked if they could feature the Hogwarts Bunch Blanket in an upcoming issue!!
I preceeded to freak-the-shiz out and accepted immediately!!!
Published in a magazine!!!!! From the other side of the freaking planet!!!!! AGGHHHH!!!
As you can see I handled the whole propsal extremely professionally....
Adrienne sent along some questions and I sent her some pictures and you can imagine my surprise when I first laid eyes on issue #44.....

I scored an ENTIRE PAGE!!!
I'd like to extend another massive thank you to Adrienne and her team for this opportunity! TOO TOO AWESOME!!

For those wanting different characters, if you're a member of Ravelry, have a search for a raveller named 'Candice' She has a BUNCH of character graphs for free in her patterns section Please note- I do not produce patterns on request. For reasons why, please see the Frequently Asked Questions Section
If you do have a crack at a character, please feel free to send me pictures to be featured here on Totallee.net! Like the beautiful angels below!!!
poprocker [@] totallee [.] net !

Your Potter Panels!

Get ready to get your applause on whilst browsing this section!!
This section is to show off the incredible crocheting magic of those who have had a crack at the Potter Panels and have beyond succeeded !!

If you have sent me a picture of your potter panel and don't see it featured, first, please forgive me and secondly, please resend it! I'm a fully qualified scatterbrain and have clearly misplaced it! Again if you would like to have your finished piece featured, please pop a couple of images into an e-mail and send it to poprocker [@] totallee [.] net!